THE GLASS APPRENTICE
Pròsper uses glass to express his emotions, his life process and his vision of the cosmos. With his project The Glass Apprentice he wants to merge design and craftsmanship to create pieces that explore colour, geometry and the possibilities of the transformation of the primary sphericity of blown glass in other shapes and volumes.
He is a great example of how taking things slowly and having experience, as well as talent, results in creating something unique with his own hands.
1. Who is behind The Glass Apprentice and how did this project come to life?
My name is Prosper Riba Vilardell. I am a designer and glassblower. I’ve managed to unite the creative playful Mediterranean spirit and the technical discipline from the North of Europe.
The Glass Apprentice is the brand I created during an intense apprenticeship in the deep woods of Bohemia at Glasfachschule Zwiesel, Germany. The choice of this name is not random, I want to express that I will remain an apprentice, experimentation and learning are the core of my philosophy and my doing.
2. Could you explain the process of glassblowing?
The process of glass blowing is one of the most complex crafts. You fight against thermodynamics, centrifugal force, gravity and occasionally your own mind. It all comes down to a single movement: gathering glass from the furnace at 1200°C, stabilizing the temperatures of the mass, correcting its shape and blowing the bubble at a certain angle in order to create its desired final shape.
At this point you can make decisions such as taking more glass or cooling a certain section of the incandescent body, another layer of color or even adding some decorative material.
3. What other techniques can be contemplated with this type of material?
Glass has many different techniques: fusing, slumping, blowing, cutting, carving, flat glass, casting, pate de verre, stained glass, etc. All of them can be combined with each other, exciting, isn't it?
4. Tell us a little bit about your career so far.
It all started when I was working on the final project for my design studies at Escola Massana in Barcelona. I was designing the Matriu lamp which consists of three equal pieces of glass (fusing technique and not blown) and one of brass. I realized that very few people could give me answers to my questions and I became more and more interested in this material.
I completed my training in several workshops, at Bild-werk (Germany) and at the Penland School (USA) and also by assisting glass masters such as Matteo Gonet (Basel) or Jeremy Maxwell (Paris), in two workshops where design and craftsmanship go hand in hand.
Through my brand The glass apprentice, I create, produce and sell my own blown glass designs. I do consulting, make prototypes in order to produce small series of glass products for designers such as Jordi Veciana, Verónica Fuerte, Sanna Völker, Alejandra Perini and Parachilna.
I dedicate myself to advising some design students: The project From the ashes by Benedikt Peirotén (Elisava Faculty of Design and Engineering), in which I actively participated, has won the European Product Design Award (2021).
5. We have seen that you offer different products with completely different uses, how do you get inspired to create a new piece?
I have created a link with the glass which allows me, without getting out of control, to let myself be carried away by the material and this is the origin of the Little Dancer. But it depends on the object I develop. When it has a specific purpose I try to maintain control of the glass which is quite challenging but that is the point, to know how to create without losing.
1. Who is behind The Glass Apprentice and how did this project come to life?
My name is Pròsper Riba Vilardell. I am a designer and glassblower. I’ve managed to unite the creative playful Mediterranean spirit and the technical discipline from the North of Europe.
The Glass Apprentice is the brand I created during an intense apprenticeship in the deep woods of Bohemia at Glasfachschule Zwiesel, Germany. The choice of this name is not random, I want to express that I will remain an apprentice, experimentation and learning are the core of my philosophy and my doing.
2. Could you explain the process of glassblowing?
The process of glass blowing is one of the most complex crafts. You fight against thermodynamics, centrifugal force, gravity and occasionally your own mind. It all comes down to a single movement: gathering glass from the furnace at 1200°C, stabilizing the temperatures of the mass, correcting its shape and blowing the bubble at a certain angle in order to create its desired final shape.
At this point you can make decisions such as taking more glass or cooling a certain section of the incandescent body, another layer of color or even adding some decorative material.
3. What other techniques can be contemplated with this type of material?
Glass has many different techniques: fusing, slumping, blowing, cutting, carving, flat glass, casting, pate de verre, stained glass, etc. All of them can be combined with each other, exciting, isn't it?
4. Tell us a little bit about your career so far.
It all started when I was working on the final project for my design studies at Escola Massana in Barcelona. I was designing the Matriu lamp which consists of three equal pieces of glass (fusing technique and not blown) and one of brass. I realized that very few people could give me answers to my questions and I became more and more interested in this material.
I completed my training in several workshops, at Bild-werk (Germany) and at the Penland School (USA) and also by assisting glass masters such as Matteo Gonet (Basel) or Jeremy Maxwell (Paris), in two workshops where design and craftsmanship go hand in hand.
Through my brand The glass apprentice, I create, produce and sell my own blown glass designs. I do consulting, make prototypes in order to produce small series of glass products for designers such as Jordi Veciana, Verónica Fuerte, Sanna Völker, Alejandra Perini and Parachilna.
I dedicate myself to advising some design students: The project From the ashes by Benedikt Peirotén (Elisava Faculty of Design and Engineering), in which I actively participated, has won the European Product Design Award (2021).
5. We have seen that you offer different products with completely different uses, how do you get inspired to create a new piece?
I have created a link with the glass which allows me, without getting out of control, to let myself be carried away by the material and this is the origin of the Little Dancer. But it depends on the object I develop. When it has a specific purpose I try to maintain control of the glass which is quite challenging but that is the point, to know how to create without losing.
6. Our favourite piece of the glass apprentice is the Quixote and its function to make hyacinth bulbs grow. What are the proper steps to use this object of glass correctly and can it be used for other purposes?
When you get a Quixote you get a pamphlet with instructions for flowering a hyacinth bulb, if it is flowering season you also get a bulb as a gift.
The steps you must follow to ensure the flowering of a hyacinth bulb are:
1. Fill the Quixote with water.
2. Place the bulb in the neck of the container. It should be close to the water but not touching it.
3. Change the water once a week.
4. Leave the hyacinth in a cool, bright place without direct sunlight.
7. We would love to know your references. For example, books, artists, documentaries, etc.
Well, I would say that I have a somewhat curious mind and that within it I make a symbiosis of my experiences, feelings and the things I see and observe.
I don't read much, but what I have read has served me as a reference, for example The praise of the shadow by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, a book I read during a course on stage lighting at the Theatre Institute of Barcelona or The most beautiful story in the world: the secrets of our origins by Hubert Reeves, a great little book that gives me a lot of food for thought under an oak tree in deepest Bohemia.
But without a doubt my great reference today is the cosmos as we see it and as our satellites, which have been wandering through space for a while now, show us what we can't see, a place where anything can be forged. In fact, the Horizon of Vibrant Collapse series is inspired by various space themes such as the enigmatic forces of a black hole or the magnetic field of a planet.
8. What is the future of The Glass Apprentice? What are your goals and how would you like to move forward with this project?
The future of The Glass Apprentice is uncertain. I hope I can stay in my hometown and continue to work with this material. What do you think?
6. Our favourite piece of the glass apprentice is the Quixote and its function to make hyacinth bulbs grow. What are the proper steps to use this object of glass correctly and can it be used for other purposes?
When you get a Quixote you get a pamphlet with instructions for flowering a hyacinth bulb, if it is flowering season you also get a bulb as a gift.
The steps you must follow to ensure the flowering of a hyacinth bulb are:
1. Fill the Quixote with water.
2. Place the bulb in the neck of the container. It should be close to the water but not touching it.
3. Change the water once a week.
4. Leave the hyacinth in a cool, bright place without direct sunlight.
7. We would love to know your references. For example, books, artists, documentaries, etc.
Well, I would say that I have a somewhat curious mind and that within it I make a symbiosis of my experiences, feelings and the things I see and observe.
I don't read much, but what I have read has served me as a reference, for example The praise of the shadow by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, a book I read during a course on stage lighting at the Theatre Institute of Barcelona or The most beautiful story in the world: the secrets of our origins by Hubert Reeves, a great little book that gives me a lot of food for thought under an oak tree in deepest Bohemia.
But without a doubt my great reference today is the cosmos as we see it and as our satellites, which have been wandering through space for a while now, show us what we can't see, a place where anything can be forged. In fact, the Horizon of Vibrant Collapse series is inspired by various space themes such as the enigmatic forces of a black hole or the magnetic field of a planet.
8. What is the future of The Glass Apprentice? What are your goals and how would you like to move forward with this project?
The future of The Glass Apprentice is uncertain. I hope I can stay in my hometown and continue to work with this material. What do you think?